SURFBOARD PARTS
SCROLL DOWN OR CLICK BELOW
DECK
BOTTOM
CONCAVE
NOSE
RAIL
ROCKER
STRINGER
THE FIN EVOLUTION
LEASH
LEASH CUP
TAIL
DECK
The surface of the board that the surfer stands on. Surf wax is applied to this surface.
BOTTOM
Self explanatory...not the side you stand on. The side that rests on the water.
CONCAVE
Modern surfboards often contain multiple contours on the bottom of the board called Concave. These concaves have different uses and vary among different types of surfboards. Most concaves on the modern shortboard begin about twelve inches back from the nose of the board on the bottom and then carry out through the middle to the tail of the surfboard.
The purpose of concave is to direct water through the fins of the surfboard. Surfboard shapers can experiment with concaves to create different drive and response characteristics on each individual surfboard.
NOSE
The front tip of the board. This can be pointed or rounded.
RAIL
The edges of the board. A rounded rail is called "soft", while a more squared off rail is called "hard", and rails that are in between are considered 50/50.
ROCKER
This refers to how much curve the bottom of the board has from nose to tail. Increasing the rocker helps improve a board's performance when it is used in and around tighter curves on the wave face while flattening the curves of the board help it to handle better on flatter sections of water.
STRINGER
A thin piece of wood running from nose to tail that increases the strength of the board. Boards have different amount of stringers and some have no stringers.
THE FIN EVOLUTION
The surfboard fin is a stabilizing strut fixed to the rear of the surfboard to prevent it from sliding sideways. In the early days, surfers would stabilize the board by hanging the toes of their back foot over the edge of the board and would steer by putting their foot in the water. The innovation of a skeg in 1936 —by either or both of Woody "Spider" Brown or Tom Blake— revolutionized surfing, allowing surfers to direct the board's momentum and providing more balance while turning.
The template of the modern surfboard fin was developed by George Greenough in the 1960s. The single fin changed little until the late 70's, when a second was added and popularized by Australian Mark Richards. The new twin fin set up allowed much more flowing carves to be performed. Mark Richards dominated the world competitive scene from 1979 to 1983. In 1981 another Australian was developing another set up which would again change the face of surfing. His name was Simon Anderson and by attaching a third fin, positioned centrally behind the twin fins, he created the thruster set up. Today, most surfboards still use the same arrangement with its popularity arising from the combined ability for carving turns and providing control and drive.
In the early 90's removable fin systems were developed and embraced. One of the most popular such fin systems is the FCS system, or Fin Control System. FCS is a more standardized system that allows fins to be easily removed or replaced, utilizing set screws to hold the fins in place. These systems provided surfers with the ability to alter the riding characteristics of a surfboard, by changing the size and shape of fins used. This innovation opened the market to a range of fin designs, including single foiled fins, concave inside surfaces, and curved fins. Another variation of fin was later designed in the time frame known as the soul fin, a sleek bendable attachment.
Tunnel fins were invented in the 60's by Richard Deese, and were found on longboards by multiple manufacturers of that era, including Dewey Weber. Bob Bolen aka 'the Greek' patented the Turbo Tunnel in the late 1990s. Since the mid 90's half tunnel fins have been used, mainly on very long hollow wooden surfboards such as those made in New Zealand by Roy Stewart.
Winged fins are another type of surfboard fin, the genesis of which was America's Cup sailboat design. The Starfin was designed in the 1980s by the America's Cup yacht designer, Ben Lexcen, who had designed the winged keel for the America's Cup boat, Australia II. The small thruster-sized fin, the RedTip 3D is manufactured by FCS.
Fins with winglets -- tiny wings -- are part of the Wavegrinder fin invented in 2005. The purpose of winglets, as in airplane design, is to increase lift (horizontal turning force in the case of surfboard fins) while reducing drag, by reducing the fin-tip vortex.
LEASH
A surfboard leash is the cord that attaches a surfboard to the surfer. It prevents the surfboard from being swept away by waves and stops runaway surfboards from hitting other surfers and swimmers. Modern leashes comprise a urethane cord where one end has a band with a velcro strap attached to the surfer's trailing foot, and the opposite has a velcro strap attached to the tail end of the surfboard.
Prior to leashes introduction in 1971, surfers who fell off their boards had to swim to retrieve them with runaway boards being an inconvenience to the surfer and a danger to other surfers. Santa Cruz resident Pat O'Neill, son of surfer Jack O'Neill (inventor of the O'Neill Wetsuit), is credited with inventing the surf leash. His initial designs consisted of surgical cord attached to a board with a suction cup. At the 1971 Malibu international surfing competition, Pat offered leashes to his competitors in the event. Consequently he was disqualified from the event for wearing his leash, dubbed a kook cord by those at the event however over the next year, the leash became a ubiquitous tool in the surfing world.
Pat's father, Jack O'Neill, lost his left eye in a surf leash accident as the surgical tubing used in the early designs allowed the leash to overstretch, causing the surfboard to fly back towards the surfer. Subsequent cords were made with less elastic materials such as bungee cords.
LEASH CUP
